Identifying the Foci of Interest to Nurses in Irish Intellectual Disability Services

Abstract

The role of nursing in intellectual disability services has not been constructively debated in the Republic of Ireland. The single report on such nursing in recent years retained a biomedical bias and was prepared within the context of staffing shortages. Intellectual disability nursing in Ireland is at a crucial juncture, with various forces seeking to relegate it to a postgraduate specialist subject. The specific input of intellectual disability nursing to the broader profession may be lost, and may be subsumed within an illness model unrepresentative of the reality of care. The purpose of this study was to explore this specific input and to identify foci for nursing intervention within residential intellectual disability care. This was achieved through a Delphi study; three focus groups held among Irish intellectual disability nurses working in three service settings; and personal interviews held with residential service/nurse managers.